Packers Practice Roundup: Day Seven
The Packers were in full pads today. That led to a lot of tweets and more opinions.
GENERAL/PERSONNEL:
Players not participating in today’s practice: Kamal Martin, Chris Blair, Randy Ramsey. Wood
Isaiah McDuffie and Dominque Dafney both look good running off to the side. Hopefully that means they are both close to returning. Patrick Taylor and Josiah Deguara were doing the same things right before they returned. Herman
Full pads, uppers & lowers, for the first time today. Spofford [Yesterday used no lower pads.]
2 min starts with Rodgers hitting Tonyan on a quick hitter over the middle. Seen that a bunch this camp. If Rodgers sees 85 uncovered at the line, just takes an easy 5+ yards on a quick pop pass. Nagler
Some interesting thoughts from QB1 on how different it is facing Barry's defense in practice. "It's not really like any of the other defenses that I've faced over the years in practice." Spofford [He has an article at packerscom.]
Also, LB Ray Wilborn has been removed from the COVID list. Demovsky
Packers Activate Josiah Deguara From PUP List. Aaron Wilson
That’s a little less than 10 months out from his injury, per Demovsky who also noted: I know all ACL recoveries are different but if David Bakhtiari followed a similar timeline, look for a late-September possible return to practice. Demovsky
Aaron Rodgers says Randall Cobb has been living with him until family relocates back to GB. Hopmayer
QUARTERBACKS/WIDE RECEIVERS:
Stop me if you’ve heard this before but…two more nice catches by Begelton to start the 2 min drill with the 2s. Nagler
ANOTHER great catch from Begelton on a dime from Love. Far hash throw, Love placed it perfectly. Nagler
Laser over the middle from Love to Begelton in team. Tough catch in traffic. Haven’t heard much from Begelton this camp but he’s come alive today. Nagler
Nice job by Reggie Begelton fighting through tough contact by Darnell Savage at the top of his route to break open and win his one on one. Nagler [Have you seen the pattern here?]
Also WR Juwann Winfree continues to impress. Beat Eric Stokes deep with a series of moves and then blew by Alexander. Second one would have been a TD, but ball was overthrown. Silverstein
In five cracks at the 2-minute, Aaron Rodgers went 1-for-2 (TD to Lazard, INT on Hail Mary) and Jordan Love went 0-for-3 (turnover on downs twice and INT). Demovsky
Jordan Love had a couple of impressive throws — a tight-window crosser to Reggie Begelton and a good placement on a sideline out to Devin Funchess — but earlier threw a duck on a deep ball. We’ll hear from Love the first time in camp after practice. Demovsky [So, this sounds more balanced: another observer indicated Love overall had a good day.]
Jordan Love said that he and WR Reggie Begelton were not on the same page when he threw the interception in the move-the-ball drill. He thought Begelton was going to take the route in a different direction and threw it where he thought he'd be. Silverstein [no way to know which player - or if either player - got it right.]
Where is Jordan Love better in Year 2? Love: "My footwork...trying to tie my feet into each passing play. Reading with my feet...it's gotten a lot better." "Understanding the game pre-snap, one thing I'm trying to improve on." Kruse
QB Jordan Love ends his move the ball drill with a terrible throw into double coverage that safety Christian Uphoff picked off. Short throw that Reggie Begelton had no chance on. Silverstein [Inserted in the DB section as well - some difference in tone describing the same play, but these are tweets, not essays.]
Rodgers escapes the pocket to his right, two options available underneath, instead throws a 50 yard dime to Lazard for a TD, as one does. Nagler
Love to Amari easy money td with SJC in coverage. Herman (Shemar Jean-Charles)
Love is dealing. Three great completions in a row, including an absolutely perfect throw to Funchess on the right sideline where only his receiver could get to it. Nagler
Winfree had Alexander beat clean on a go route during one on ones but pass was overthrown. Really nice release by Winfree. Nagler [I should highlight the whole tweet.]
Jordan Love compared his relationship to Aaron Rodgers to "the Master and the Padawan." "Me and Aaron have a good relationship. Zhao
[Okay - long series of tweets by Andy Herman for what looks like drills - some and probably even many already listed elsewhere]
Gaines with perfect coverage but a sick late hands pluck by Begelton.
Rodgers can’t come down with the catch. SJC looked like he held a bit.
Sternberger is owning this drill today.
Winfree had Jaire beat deep but pass was overthrown.
MVS with a deep td over Stokes.
Rodgers beats SJC easy from the slot.
Sternberger turns Black around and then makes a sick one handed catch.
MVS beats Jaire deep for a td.
Funchess nice inside route on Chandon.
Stokes has no confidence in coverage right now. Winfree with an easy easy win.
Cobb with a veteran route against Sullivan for the win.
PBU by Vernon Scott.
Stokes holding Funchess would have been called.
Begelton beats Savage easily despite a Savage hold.
Innis Gaines INT
Ento couldn’t get head turned. Got lucky to fall incomplete.
Josh Jackson with sticky coverage on Lazard 1x1. Really nice play by Jackson on the pbu.
SJC great coverage on Rodgers but he catches it anyway.
Winfree beats Jaire off the line but the throw is low. Incomplete.
Sternberger makes easy work of Black. [End Andy Herman]
TIGHT ENDS:
Stokes ending today’s practice strong. Great coverage on Sternberger on a deep corner. Herman
Nauta has impressed me. Seems assignment sure for a new dude. Hodkiewicz
Jace Sternberger getting some work with the ones. Haven’t seen much of that so far in camp. Nagler
RUNNING BACKS:
Rodgers finds Jones easily over the middle for a touchdown in red zone. Herman
Dillon has Campbell beat up the right sideline but Rodgers throws it juuuust out of his reach. Nice route from Dillon. Nagler
Nice inside run from Dexter who continues his strong camp. Herman
OFFENSIVE LINE:
Nice hole for Jones running behind Patrick/Turner/Lewis. 2) Nice cut by Patrick Taylor who then shows off a little power colliding with a DB. So excited to see Taylor get a chance in preseason. Offensive line is doing work right now. Back to back to back nice runs by Dex, Taylor, and now Dillon. Herman
Really good one on one battle between Elgton Jenkins and Rashan Gary. Jenkins handled Gary’s speed rush on first rep, but Gary came back with a bull to win the second. Two athletic studs there. Wood
Runyan said that he played some center on the scout team last year after Jake Hanson got hurt. Now he's getting snaps at center in camp. Said he's never played center in a game, but he knows the more positions he plays, the more valuable he is. He hasn't taken any tackle snaps since he's been in GB. Silverstein
Jon Runyon Jr. says he's only repping at guard/center, hasn't been at tackle since Michigan. Still think he can do all 5: "If you look at a guy like Elgton, he can play all 5 positions on the O line. I feel like that's something I can do, but that's not what we need right now." Demovsky
I think the right guard position, manned by Lucas Patrick pretty darned well last season, is open. LaFleur went with the canned every-position-is-open line. Huber [I don’t agree or disagree with this - maybe both OG spots are undetermined but with candidates.]
Lucas Patrick has gotten all 1st-team reps at RG with David Bakhtiari out. When Bakhtiari returns, and Elgton Jenkins returns to G, LaFleur said Patrick will have competition for that spot: "There's a competition everywhere, but specifically those interior spots, for sure." Wood [I should edit my editorializing, but nah.]
Runyan gets first crack at LG with the ones in team. Nagler
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN:
Kenny Clark said enough with the big runs - stuffs Jones at the LOS. 2) Clark through for a pressure but Rodgers scrambles for a few yards. Herman
Heflin with a pressure. Herman
Dean Lowry explodes into the backfield for about a 3 yard loss on Jones. 2) Lowry deflects a pass at the LOS. Herman
LINEBACKERS:
Pressure by Preston Smith but Rodgers rolls out and throws a 45 yard dime on the run to Lazard. Perfect pass. Herman
Matt LaFleur said that LB Kamal Martin suffered an injury that will sidelined him temporarily but the plan is to play him at both inside and outside linebacker. Silverstein
Nice job by Isaac Nauta in pass pro, picked up Tipa 1x1. Herman
Love tries hitting Sternberger over the middle but Campbell makes a diving play on the ball. Probably should have been a pick, but nice play regardless. Nagler
The Packers have claimed OLB Chauncey Rivers off waivers from the Ravens (also from Last Chance U), per a source. Demovsky
DEFENSIVE BACKS:
Vernon Scott pbu on Funchess on a ball from Love that had a bit too much air on it. Herman
Gonna be interesting to see where Will Redmond fits on the depth chart when he returns from NFI. Vernon Scott and Henry Black getting lots of reps at safety. Wood
Nice PBU by Ento on a back shoulder throw to Funchess from Benkert in the end zone. Nagler
CB Jaire Alexander getting snaps in the slot. First I can recall that happening this camp (unless I missed it). Jackson and Stokes outside. Silverstein
Love tries going deep down the middle to Begelton but gets picked by Uphoff on the last play of team period. Nagler
In 1 on 1 drill, CB Josh Jackson had two excellent turns against Davante Adams and Allen Lazard. Stoned both of them on throws from Rodgers. Silverstein
Rodgers goes deep up the left sideline to Adams but Stokes does a great job using the sideline as his help and basically gives Davante nowhere to go but out of bounds. Nice rep from the rookie. Nagler
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Crosby hits first seven FG. I think he was wide left from 58 on last one. Huber [So, by my running count, 20 of 24.]
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Comments (24)
Thegreatreynoldo
August 05, 2021 at 08:36 pm
I chose to use a photo of Reggie Begelton. I really had to with that many positive mentions.
That said, I think Winfree beating Jaire Alexander off the line is more important. First, it sounds like Winfree has been promoted to playing with and against the 1s. Second, Jaire is good. Now, every CB gets beat once in a while. I will watch to see if Winfree gets more opportunities in pads against the number ones.
Also, I see that Begelton beat Savage, so that's a plus in my book. Not nearly as interested if he beat Gaines, etc.
I had a fascination with Tipa Gileai last year. Today, Nauta stoned him. So, he still might not be getting opportunities against Marcedes and Big Bob. That suggests the coaches don't think he is ready for prime time. Lotta camp left, of course.
Coldworld
August 05, 2021 at 10:05 pm
Nuata is a pretty competent blocker, to be fair. It doesn’t look like any reserve OLB has yet made a step.
MarkinMadison
August 06, 2021 at 05:51 am
What is Winfree doing right? He is slower than MVS, shorter than Lazard/Funchess/ESB. (Really from a H/W/40 perspective he is most similar to Adams, but who the hell is actually similar to Adams?) His brain must be working, because his RAS is pretty pedestrian for the Gutey era.
Thegreatreynoldo
August 06, 2021 at 07:58 am
I looked up Winfree's pro day: 6'.1".1, 210 lbs, 4.53, 1.63 10 yd, 33" vertical, 125" broad, 4.25 shuttle, and 6.97 three cone. So, the broad jump is good, and the three-cone is okay.
No question: as a H/W/S guy, he does not stand out.
Coldworld
August 06, 2021 at 08:23 am
Winfree is interesting, so I’ve dug into him. Here’s my take.
He’s a decent size at 6’1+, with decent strength (16 reps) for a WR. He ran a 3 cone below 7 and a 4.5 40. What that boils down to is a receiver of good size and strength who while not physically elite for the NFL in any particular one is over all a pretty sudden, quick and strong all round package for a receiver. He’s always shown the agility to adjust to make catches, so he’s got a larger than average catch radius. He appears to have always had excellent natural hands—though interestingly, like Adams he’s had issues until comfortable with his assignments.
What I see in his metrics is actually very similar to Adams overall in terms of raw materials. The difference is that Winfree was raw coming out having had a disciplinary transfer to Juco and then being out for an ACL on return, returning for a good season and then an injury marred final one. He really had one and a bit seasons worth of games outside Juco. So he was a player with tools but little experience who didn’t stand out through one particular freakish trait and hadn’t had a chance to get notice by racking up stats against elite opponents.
One thing worth noting is that getting kicked off one team seems to have turned him around. By his second D1 stint his character and work ethic was deemed excellent and he became a captain. Interestingly he was known for spending a great deal of time perfecting routes and moves. He could be played outside and in the slot interchangeably. He changes direction smoothly too. Obviously that was a lot simpler than in the NFL, but the detail and effort traits were there.
Overall, Adams is a very good comparative although their metrics aren’t exactly similar, their combined traits are of similar types as a whole. They are the type of player that need to be route technicians and then use their movement skills to really click. Adams has done that, obviously, Winfree had not. He’s the kind of player for whom system comfort is key as a prerequisite to putting it all together.
The Broncos were the franchise nearest to his final D1 team and liked him enough to trade up for him in the sixth round. He then had an injury plagued first season ending on IR and got injured in camp in 2020, being released at final cut downs from what was thought to be a very deep WR room at the time with 13 on the pre cut down roster. He was seen as just too injured from what I can tell. They did not add him to their PS. We picked him up in October.
It looks to me like he worked his butt off perfecting his route knowledge between now and then and we are seeing the benefits. Hopefully he can stay healthy. He is still only 24 and brings ST experience. He is perhaps the one player who might make the 53 who can back up all starting positions adequately in game, but as you said, Adams is a good comparative in terms of type. Let’s see if he can carry his early showing through games and avoid injury.
JQ
August 06, 2021 at 01:13 pm
Nice deep dive CW! Thanks for taking the time and posting! -JQ-
dobber
August 06, 2021 at 03:59 pm
Another key difference is that Adams was an uber-productive college player...most people don't know how good he was in college (in an offense where they really slinged it).
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/davante-adams-1.html
Winfree--either due to disciplinary or injury issues--never put that on his resume.
Coldworld
August 06, 2021 at 05:22 pm
Winfree only appeared in 21 games in D1. He caught 60 passes for 807 yards at an average of 13. 5 and 6 TDs between 2 schools and around an ACL. So no, he was hardly a person who racked up D1 stats, as I stated. He did, however, perform well when he did play. I was comparing to player type based on metrics and traits not achievement.
Thegreatreynoldo
August 07, 2021 at 10:29 am
Andy Herman and Nagler both tweeted that Winfree was really good with his release off the line: fast and smooth.
Another tidbit: Royce Newman has a really good first step.
PackEyedOptimist
August 05, 2021 at 10:00 pm
It’s really great to have such detailed coverage of camp!
Coldworld
August 05, 2021 at 10:04 pm
New names creeping in. Newer players starting to show. Roll on scrimmage. Let’s see who can upset the established order.
Best comment today for me was Rodgers commenting on the Barry D being significantly different. While that’s not necessarily implying greatness it suggests it is not just more of the same at least.
Roadrunner23
August 05, 2021 at 10:26 pm
Thanks again James, I look forward to your excellent compilation of training camp tidbits!
porupack
August 06, 2021 at 06:19 am
Thanks! Great to hear these 1 v 1s. Gary v Jenkins. That would be fun to watch. Any WR v Alexander. Any CB v DAdams. There's some players that can school some young ones, that's for sure. I guess we can lower our expectations for Stokes. Lot of camp left like you say, but he's getting torched by everyone. Maybe we see more of Jackson this year? I know...its early, but that is the whole point of all the camp observations...for early signs.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
August 06, 2021 at 06:32 am
Tomorrow back to tailgating and Family Night scrimmage.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
August 06, 2021 at 06:50 am
Nice write up TGR!
Lots of good things in there. Sounds like Love has a lot of talent, but just needs experience. Hasn't played in a game in 1.5 to 2 years. That is crazy and obviously slowed his development. Very unfortunately the Packers stuck him at #3 all last year wasting a year in his development. Hoping big time that LF actively works at incorporating Love into games this year when they are out of reach.
What I picked up from the article that caught my attention was about Jace Sternberger. Again, tons of talent as a run TE. Hoping this young man stays healthy and gets in together this year.
greengold
August 06, 2021 at 06:58 am
Really great work putting all of this together, TGR! Thank you.
The battles in camp this year are insane. Look at Josh Jackson coming on. Sternberger making his presence felt. Ento & Nauta challenging respectively. The OL battles at OG. Gutekunst is going to have some tough decisions. Fun camp. Hopefully they all stay healthy and progress further.
mattgsx
August 06, 2021 at 02:30 pm
I am really loving all the good copy coming out on Jackson. We never know what will happen when the games start to matter but it sounds like a change in scheme and facing a make or break moment has really made the lights come on for him. If this translates into performance on the field, it gives the Packers a LOT more options for how they will utilize their CBs, and possibly makes King an unnecessary luxury. I feel the same way about Jace - he knows this is his last chance to show he deserves a spot and it sounds like his off-season issues have put him in a place where he's gonna put it all out there and hope for the best.
Really excited to see Winfree tomorrow and in the preseason. This kid sounds like he's going to force himself into the roster, and supplant either Funchess/EQ.
Begelton - if the switch has finally clicked to playing NFL football, could be interesting. I'm still thinking he won't survive cuts and will hopefully land on the PS. WRs get banged up, and if he can keep the momentum going on the scout team maybe that will translate into meaningful snaps late in the season if he gets his name called.
ReaganRulz
August 06, 2021 at 08:48 am
Gotta love having so many stud players that our rookies and newcomers are competing against. Helps to prepare them for the real deal. Rodgers, Adams, Jenkins, Clark, Alexander, AJones and many others. Can’t wait for the season to start!!
LambeauPlain
August 06, 2021 at 01:40 pm
Thanks TGR!
I have read Van Lanen is getting some work. What about the other two Badgers...any meaningful snaps?
Thegreatreynoldo
August 07, 2021 at 10:36 am
Ask Aaron, Andy Herman, or Ryan Wood. Those are the three that are there in person who tweet out.
There are others who are there in person, but they write articles and don't tweet much.
Nothing on Dietzen and ? Who is the second WI guy?
mattgsx
August 06, 2021 at 02:36 pm
Love all these round ups, TGR!
Seems like there have been a lot of people showing up BIG that are surprises. Based on the cap now and wanting to carry some cash forward into next year and/or bolster the DL, do you have any thoughts on the Packers cutting King if it looks like Jackson is finally going to pan out, cutting Funchess and/or EQ in favor of Winfree, and maybe cutting Turner after Bahk comes back if they think Jenkins or the new OL pickup can anchor the RT spot? Feel like Runyan and the other young OGs have done enough to make Patrick an unnecessary luxury?
Thegreatreynoldo
August 07, 2021 at 10:42 am
GB is not cutting King, at least not for cap reasons. GB guaranteed $3.75M of his $5M salary. Very unlikely.
I think Funchess is on the cap casualty bubble.
I think EQ is just on the bubble w/o cap considerations.
Turner looks safe to me after they added a zillion void years.
Now, Lucas Patrick might be tempting but only if at least two guys really impress at OG. Probably can get a late-round pick for Patrick. Kaufusi, Nauta (might just be too many TEs), and Nijman might be cap casualties.
croatpackfan
August 07, 2021 at 08:42 am
Thank you for reports TGR!
That 50 yarder right in the net is something many will expected from Aaron Rodgers as they saw that throws many times in TC. But, even it looks as natural ability Aaron Rodgers posses, I'm sure that there is a lot of training behind that throw. Trainings which resulted in muscular memory to throw the ball exactly where he is looking. I believe there was hundreds of hours spared on training for todays "natural & easy" throws...
That is one of the main goal Jordan should achieve while he is waiting to become starter. Together with footing, timing of the throws and pre-snap reading. Muscle memory allows QB to have faster throws when that throw is needed.
NitschkeFromTheGrave
August 08, 2021 at 09:32 am
Love your detailed conical. I'm trying not to be judgmental and just soaking in the info and facts.
Keep it coming...